Aeroplane



R. W. JORDAN.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1918.

1,369,746, Patented Feb. 22, 1921,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- ZMA A TTOR/VEV R. W. JORDAN.

AEROPLANE.-

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 191B.

,1,369,' 746; Patented Feb.22,1921@ v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTORNEV UNITED F l C AEROPIIANE.

Application filed March 18, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, RURIO W. JORDAN, a citizen of the United fltates, and resident of Holderness, in the county of Grafton and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which. the following is a specifi cation, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to aeroplanes or air ships, and more particularly to means for stabilizing the same. The object of the invention is to prevent the many accidents which commonly arise through the falling of an aeroplane or some other uncontrollable action, thereof which results when the engine stops during the flight or some contingency occurs which causes the operator to lose control and the aeroplane to fall to the earth. My invention consists essentially in means for automatically controlling the plane whenever the engine stops, or some other ac cident happens, so that the plane instead of dropping as a dead weight in a vertical line, will be caused to gently glide down an incline, or in other words, to volplane to earth. The means for doing this consists essentially of a weight-carrying frame hung beneath the plane, which will automatically tilt the plane when the propelling action of the motor ceases; and further the invention may be said to consist essentially in the construc tion, arrangement and combination of the various parts substantially as will be here inafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing illustrat ing my invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved aeroplane when in the position which it occupies when being propelled forward by its motor.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same when in the position which it assumes when the motor or motors have ceased running, and the weight suspended beneath the plane has tilted the latter so that it isin a position to glide toward the earth and thus avoid falling in a vertical descent.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of my improved aeroplane.

Fig. l is a top plan view of the same.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

1 denotes a single plane of that specimen of the invention which I have illustrated specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

Serial No. 222,205.

in the drawings, and am now describing. Though I show a monoplane, it is evident that the invention may be applied with equal success to a biplane, triplane, or other aeroplane, or any aerial vehicle. Supported on the plane 1 is a suitable light frame work 2 having a rearward extension 2 The frame 2 extends downwardly from the frame 1 for a suitable distance and is designed to carry the weight of a motor, a group of passengers, suitable equipment, machinery, guns, bombs or the like; and the rearwardly extended portion 2 of said frame is intended or designed to have a rudder 3 pivoted thereto, and to have also the elevating plane or tail 4t hinged thereto, the latter being controlled by suitable connecting means, as 5, or otherwise. lt will be understood, of course, that the parts of the frames 2 and 2 may be made as numerous or as few as desired, and made of any light strong material, and the braces and counterbraces and connecting parts may all be arranged and modified within wide limits, it being only necessary that this frame should occupy a depending position below the plane 1, after the manner of a pendulum, so that it can carry the proper weight, and this wei ht will be so placed that it will fall directly below the center of the lifting power of the plane when the pro polling power is shut off. Above the plane 1 there is a multiple arrangement of guy rods, cables or braces 6 which run from the central top frame 7 above the plane 1 to various points on the plane 1 that are symmetrically placed with relation to each other"; while below the plane there is a simi lar multiple arrangement of wires or cables 8 which run from the lower end of the frame 2 to points on the underside of the plane 1 practicallv opposite to the points where the ends of the guy wires 6 are attached, all as clea lv shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

With a plane, as 1, arranged in connection with a depending framework. as 2, I find it most convenient to employ two propellers 9 and 10. the upper one 9 being carried on a shaft 11 which is iournaled in the frame 2, near the plane 1", while the propeller 10 has its shaft 12 driven by a motor 13 which is supported in the lower end of the frame 2. in order that the propellers 9 and 10 may run in unison, l couple them together by means of a sprocket chain 14 passing around a sprocket wheel 15 on shaft 11 and another sprocket wheel 16 on the shaft 12. The motor 13 will, therefore, drive both the upper propeller 9 and the lower propeller 10, and thus drive the aeroplane forward in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1; and when the aeroplane is thus being driven and is normally in its proper position under the action of the two propellers, it will appear as indicated in Fig. 1 and its plane will have the position there shown. Both propellers pull the same load and run at the same speed, but the lower partof the machine will travel faster than the top until it reaches a certain angle beyond which it cannot go since the weight of the car will then'begin to pull back directly upon the lower propeller.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that I have shown there a vertical dotted .linea, a, which runs through a point A in the plane 1, which point is the center of lifting power, and also through a point B at the lowerend of the frame 2, which point may be'calledthe center of the weight. The angle of. themachine shown in Fig. 2 is the angle that it. will take when the power of the motor 13 is shut ofi? while the machine is in the air and making a flight. Then this happens the center of the weight, as B, will fall in a vertical line directly below the center of: the lifting power, as A, along the line. a, a,.as already explained, thus deflecting the position of the plane 1 so as to bring its front edge C down so that it will be lower than its rearedge D. WVhen this position of the plane: 1 takes place, it will begin to fall and it will travel ahead. As it gains in speed in thus falling, the'wing resistance against the lifting of the plane 1 will force the plane back and bring the car again into the level position shown in Fig. 1, so'tha't it will travel ahead, and-while so moving will fall easily and lightly at the rate of about one foot in fifty feet-of forward movement, and will thus effect an easy landing. This itwill'do withoutthe use of any controls, but if controls are utilized and the rear-elevating plane 4 is properly manipulated, the operator, when the machinenears' the ground, can lift. up the. rear of the elevatihgplane and make the aeroplane cut sharply toward the ground,thus causing the front, ofthev machine to tip up and bring the wings to a sharp lifting angle. and thus effecting a light, easy, and satisfactory landing, but as already stated, there is really no need of havingcontrols on the main plane or planes becausethe weight is far below the plane, and hence the plane will always be kept. right side up. It cannot overturn no matter how strong may be the wind or how uncertain the air currents orwhatever other disadvantages may happen. Even if half ofthe plane 1 is shot or broken away, this will simply cause the other half to tilt to anincline, but the aeroplane itself will not be overturned and" will volplane :or sail,

lightly toward the earth in the same manner that I have already described. When the machine is thus falling, the operator if he wishes, can not only control the movement by the use of the tail 4, but can also steer in the usual manner by means of the rudder 3.

It will thus be seen that by the simple expedient of hanging the weight of the frame, the machinery and the like, below the plane at such a point that when the aeroplane is left free to move about in the air without the action of the propellers, the center of the weight will fall directly below the center of the lifting force and thus tilt the plane so that it will act to glide toward the earth, every needed condition of safety in the management of an aeroplane is secured and assured, as it is impossible that the plane should do otherwise than to sail gradually downwardly and effect an easy and safe landing. The important feature of the invention is to have the center of the weight vertically beneath the center of the plane when there are no other forces acting to keep the plane level, and to have the plane itself so related to the weight that the front edge of the plane will be below its rear edge when the weight hangs vertically below the plane. As already indicated, it is entirely possible that a very wide change in the exact arrangement of the various parts may be made without exceeding the scope of the invention, and I reserve the liberty of making all such changes as may be found to be desirable; for the invention is broad in its essential principles and it is adaptable for a great variety of air craft.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In anaeroplane, stabilizing means therefor, consisting in the combination with a plane, of a frame suspended beneath the same and having a rearward extension, 0. motor carried by said frame, a propeller in the lower portion of the frame driven by said motor, another propeller in the upper portion ofthe frame near the plane, gearing from the motor to the second propeller for driving it in unison with the first propeller, the first propeller being set farther forward than the second propeller, all the parts being so arranged that the frame may hang as a pendulum beneath the plane and the plane may be kept in flying position when the motor is in operation but said frame being adapted to drop into a vertical position and shift the angle of the plane when the Rome w. JORDAN. 

